Do I go to the Doctor or Not????

When To See The Doctor and When To Let Your Body Heal Itself

Not many people look forward to going to the doctor. Sure, you might have an incredibly friendly doctor who you authentically enjoy catching up with, however the majority of us go to the doctor when things aren’t feeling right and we want to feel better.

How many times though have you not felt yourself and debated whether or not to go to the doctor? Sometimes it’s financial reasons that keep us out of the doctor’s office. Other times we’re afraid of what the doctor might say.

While avoidance of the problem is never the answer, there are some times when you can actually skip the doctor and let the body heal on its own.

Should I Go to the Doctor?

There are going to be times, especially during allergy season when you’re going to have a stuffy nose and sore throat. They’re not comfortable by any means, but they don’t necessarily require you to make an emergency appointment at the doctor. If your symptoms are mild and tolerable, taking an over-the-counter allergy medication could provide you some relief. Removing what you might be allergic to may also do the trick. For example, if you’re allergic to dust and mold, you may need to give your living space a deep cleaning. If pollen is your enemy, you may have to stay indoors a bit or stock up on allergy medication.

If you think it is more than allergies and has become a head or chest cold, you should be more concerned, but may not need to call the doctor just yet. Stock up on the essentials: water, soup, over the counter cold medication, etc. Do exactly what you know helps a cold: Rest, hydrate, eat, take cold medication, repeat. However, if you begin to run a fever or your symptoms don’t begin to go away or are getting worse, then it’s time to kick your efforts up a notch and contact your doctor.

If your symptoms are moderate to severe, then you should absolutely contact your doctor immediately.

If you have an exceptionally high fever, a rash throughout your body, or your mild to moderate symptoms show no signs of letting up even after taking medication there’s a good chance that you have a viral infection or are having a reaction to something. These are the times when your doctor needs to be consulted so that he or she can give you the medication that you need.

Here are a couple important tips:

1. Know your medical history and risk factors. This will impact the next steps you need to take for your health.

3. If you have an adverse reaction or experience unusual symptoms with medications, or after a procedure, injection, immunization or surgery, contact your doctor immediately.

Most of us know our bodies pretty well. If you have what you think is just a cold, instinct will kick in, and you’ll know you just need to rest. However, if there is something underlying and you can’t shake the feeling that something just isn’t right or you need your doctor’s expert opinion, trust your gut.

There’s no harm in going in for a friendly doctor’s visit or even heading over to a clinic in a pharmacy where they can do basic testing and prescribe a medication, if need be.

About Marianne Morgan

Marianne Morgan is Managing Director at Easy Drug Card. She has a Master’s degree in Counseling and over 20 years as a Human Resources executive, with extensive experience in leadership, healthcare, employee empowerment and consulting. She is passionate about encouraging individuals and families to take charge of their healthcare and believes this leads people to make informed, wise decisions about their overall health.
She loves whole, nutritious food, Pilates, and the ocean.

Easy Drug Card is a Discount Plan and is not insurance and is not intended to replace insurance.

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